Named by the Crow, Heart Mountain was one of the few identifiable features on the maps used by Lewis and Clark.
Heart Mountain is unusual in Wyoming in that it was formed by
erosion. The Paleozoic limestone cap rests upon a bed of more recent,
and softer, Eocene Willwood soil. The limestone cap originated in a
formation some 40 miles to the west, and how it arrived at its current
location is still the subject of discussion in the geology community.
Heart Mountain was recently acquired by the Nature Conservancy. The
area is a unique local habitat; it has a small native elk herd.
In 1942, a relocation camp for Japanese Americans was constructed
at Heart Mountain. It eventually held over 10,000 internees before is
was closed in 1945.
A small monument to the internees is located at the site of the camp.
